Streamlining life cycle assessment for complex Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing products

Abstract

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a framework supporting quantification of a product’s environmental impacts. Such data is required for comprehensive assessment of carbon emission impacts over the full life-cycle of products and buildings. With policymakers and the private sector pursuing decarbonisation goals, the need to streamline development of LCA data for Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) items has increased. MEP practitioners are tailoring existing LCA frameworks to accommodate supply chain complexity and unique use-phase scenarios. In lighting, LCA leadership is being driven by designers from consulting/engineering firms and manufacturers committed to identifying data gaps, inconsistencies, and uncertainty in the application of LCA. In 2025, lighting’s first Industry-Average LCA Report will be published as the result of an industry-led, international, collective analysis of five commonly used architectural luminaires. The findings suggest LCA development may be streamlined by articulating the role of manufacturers and designers in accelerating the closure of identified data gaps and adoption of consistent, industry-agreed interpretation of LCA for complex MEP items. Strategies include approaching industry LCA as a design innovation tool rather than compliance issue; assembling designer-manufacturer forums to incentivize commercial cooperation; improving global harmonisation and harnessing Industry-Average Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) and other tools as an introduction to more specific analysis.

Practical Application

With increasing significance in the growth of, and requirement for, the adoption of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) within the built environment, this paper offers leading practitioners and manufacturers an approach that can help identify current data gaps, areas of inconsistency and uncertainty within the discipline of Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) LCA. It suggests how engaging multiple stakeholders, particularly manufacturers and designers, can deliver preliminary results that support wider industry progress within this emerging field of data collection and analysis. This paper also provides lighting manufacturers, sustainability specialists and MEP consultants with a more comprehensive understanding of the environmental impact of lighting.

Keywords

Life cycle assessment (LCA)embodied carbon mechanical electrical (MEP)

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Streamlining life cycle assessment for complex Mechanical Electrical and Plumbing products – Lessons from lighting

Abstract

Practical Application

Keywords

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